Twin Point: Little Known Overlook of the Grand Canyon

Wolf Hole, Mainstreet Valley

As you continue on the well-defined road 5, you’ll go over the 5,000-foot-high Quail Hill Pass and come upon the site of an old settlement named Wolf Hole in about 20 miles.  Continue south through Mainstreet Valley, with the 100+ mile-long Hurricane Cliffs in the distance, and at 38.3 miles, turn right onto road 103.  The terrain will change from high desert to juniper tree forestland.

At about 53 miles (still on road 103), you’ll see the signs for and cross the boundary into the national monument.  At 55 miles a road junction is reached and you will continue south on road 103.  Turning right will take you on a scenic drive into Hidden Canyon.  As you head south on 103, you’ll pass by a few very remote cattle ranches and the vegetation changes back and forth between junipers and Ponderosa pine tree forests.

Finally, at 75.5 miles, bear right onto road 1019.  No more road directions are required after this turn because road 1019 will take you all the way to the overlook.  From this point on, be prepared to engage your 4WD depending on road conditions.  When we went, there were just some deep ruts in the road that we easily avoided.  If you were to continue on road 103, it would take you to another overlook of the Grand Canyon called Kelly Point.  This stretch of the road is very rough and much longer and is better traveled using an ATV, mountain bike or on horseback.

At 76.2 miles, you’ll pass a deserted outpost called Oak Grove.  Here, you’ll find some ruins and a plaque explaining what was here.  You’ll also pass a few hiking trailheads that lead to other overlooks of the canyon.  We have yet to check these out.  Continuing on 1019, you’ll pass through denser Ponderosa forest, cross over the boundary into Grand Canyon National Park and then it becomes very bright through the trees on the right.  That’s because you’re nearing the rim edge of the canyon.

First View of the Grand Canyon

At about 85.5 miles, you’ll find a turnout on the right.  Don’t drive too far in because there are no guardrails to keep you from falling into the canyon!  At this first viewpoint of the canyon, you will be directly across the canyon (due west) from the Grand Canyon Skywalk.  On the other side of the canyon, you’ll see an airstrip with some buildings nearby on the rim.  Using binoculars, you’ll be able to see the actual skywalk that people pay $80-100 to walk on.  If it’s before noon, you will be able to see the skywalk’s shadow cast on the canyon wall below.

The road continues along this rim edge for about 2 miles which makes driving interesting knowing that there’s a big chasm just off of your right side.  For people with a fear of heights though, don’t worry because there are many big trees between the road and you and the drop-off.  Finally, the road ends at 90 miles from the pavement.

Road’s End

Twin Point is actually a long peninsula jutting out into the canyon.  Unlike views of the canyon you saw at the previous turnout, which were to the west, Twin Point offers views to the south and east.  You won’t be able to see the skywalk from here and, unfortunately, you also won’t be able to see the Colorado River below.  Actually, you won’t be able to see the river from anywhere on this trip.

Once you’ve fully enjoyed the views and wandering around (we stayed for at least an hour and ate our lunch), return back to St. George using the same route you drove in on.  Other than the two vehicles we were traveling with, we didn’t see any vehicles after turning off road 5.  If you got an early start, you can probably take an alternate route back to St. George by going through Hidden Canyon and connect back to road 5 at Wolf Hole.

See what Twin Point, as well as the journey to get there, looks like by taking our virtual video tour.  And check out the animated map to get an idea of the expanse and remoteness of the Arizona Strip.  You’ll find all this and more on our website: www.BackRoadsWest.com/blog, then search for “Twin Point”.